The Nervous Door-Knock That Changed Ruth Roberts’ Career
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Ruth Roberts isn’t a fan of door-knocking.
In fact, the Woodards Carnegie and Bentleigh director openly admits it’s never been a big part of her prospecting playbook.
But one nervous knock on a door early in her career ended up becoming one of the most defining moments in her real estate journey.
Driving home one evening, Ruth noticed something curious happening at a property just behind her office. “Over three nights I saw different agents’ cars out the front,” she recalls.
“I thought, they must be selling. They’ve had three agents in there this week and my office is literally 200m away… why haven’t they called me in?”
So Ruth did something she rarely does. She knocked on the door.
“I said, ‘Look, I’m just wondering, is there any reason why you haven’t called me in? I see you’ve had every other agent here this week,’” she says.
The homeowner shrugged, noting his wife had simply called a few agents.
But when he invited Ruth inside, she jumped at the opportunity to give her presentation and appraisal. A few days later the phone rang.
“They said, ‘Look, we’ve decided to give it to you,’” she says.
“I still remember where I was when they called. I was at a friend’s house on a Saturday afternoon and I just thought, ‘Wow’. I don’t like door knocking, it’s not something I usually do but on this occasion I overcame that fear of rejection.”
For Ruth, the moment perfectly encapsulated a lesson that has guided her career for more than three decades.
“If you can just get in front of someone, anything’s possible,” she says.
A career that almost never happened
But real estate was never part of Ruth’s grand plan.
More than 30 years ago, she was simply looking for a way to earn a better income while raising her three daughters.
“My marriage was sort of wrapping up and my husband’s business had gone bust,” she says.
“I just thought, I need another job and I need to earn some decent money.”
A friend suggested Ruth speak to a local female agent who worked part-time, as she was intrigued by the potential to work flexible hours.
She did that, before finding a job with an independent agency in Melbourne’s southeast while she completed her real estate course.
“I was doing three jobs at that stage,” she recalls.
Gradually, as the listings and commissions began to flow, she was able to give the others up and focus solely on real estate.
“I could never really see the big picture at first,” she says.
“But once it started to work, it was fantastic.”
Thrown in the deep end
Ruth recalls that when she started at the independent agency it was only a team of three and everyone had to pitch in.
“I started in sales straight away, but because it was such a small office, I did everything,” she says.
“I did advertising, a bit of trust accounting and plenty of admin. It gave me a really good grounding in how the whole business works.”
That hands-on experience would later prove invaluable.
After about eight years with the agency, the owner decided it was time to step away and Ruth seized the opportunity.
“I made the decision to buy the rent roll from him,” she says.
“At the time, I thought I was just buying myself a job. I thought if I can keep the rent roll and do a few sales a month, I’ll be alright.”
In 2004, she rebranded the business under the Woodards banner, beginning a relationship that has now lasted more than two decades.
Building something bigger
When Ruth first took over the business, the team was small.
“There was myself, a receptionist and a property manager,” she says.
Today the business spans two offices, in Carnegie and Bentleigh, and employs around 25 people.
Along the way, she has also expanded by purchasing the Woodards Bentleigh office rent roll with her business partner.
Looking back, Ruth says choosing to align with a brand was one of the smartest decisions she made. “I spoke to most of the brands because I knew I needed support,” she says.
When I met John Piccolo at Woodards, that was really the moment I knew this was the right fit.” She says the culture and people were the biggest drawcards for her.
“Even now, I look back and think I made the right decision,” Ruth says.
A trailblazer at the auction podium
Ruth also carved out a niche for herself in another area of the industry - auctioneering.
She has been calling auctions for about 25 years, starting at a time when female auctioneers were virtually unheard of.
“There were none back then,” she says.
But Ruth notes that one of her biggest career highlights came in the form of an auction, when she the first Melbourne auction for the television series The Block in 2011.
“It was a big decision because you’re putting yourself out there for huge criticism,” she says. “But I thought, you know what? I can’t say no.”
The experience, she says, reinforced her belief in pushing outside her comfort zone. “You’ve just got to back yourself and take some risks.”
The changing role of women
When Ruth first entered the industry, female agents in sales roles weren’t as prevalent as they are today, let alone female business owners.
“It’s taken a long time for women to crack the sales arena,” she says.
Even today, she believes there is still progress to be made, particularly in leadership roles. However, she has also seen the power of women supporting women.
“A lot of women make the final decision when it comes to selling their homes,” she says. “And women tend to support other women.”
Mentoring the next generation
One of Ruth’s greatest joys today is mentoring new talent entering the industry.
Over the years, she has encouraged several people to pursue real estate careers, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.
She remembers suggesting the profession to a young sales assistant she met in a clothing store years ago. Fifteen years later, the woman called her.
“She said, ‘I’ve finally done it. I’ve opened my own office,’” Ruth recalls.
“It was amazing to hear.”
Back yourself
If there is one message Ruth hopes others take from her story, it’s simple.
Back yourself.
Fear, she says, can often be the biggest barrier to success.
“I always tell my daughters, just have a go,” she says.
After all, one knock on a door she didn’t even want to make helped shape the career she has today.
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